Mushroom

This Dublin group's sole and rare album, 1973's Early One Morning...., provided an interesting indie-type spin on the British Isles folk-rock style of the early '70s. Though heavily indebted in some ways to the rock-up-traditional-Celtic-folk approach pioneered by Fairport Convention and Steeleye Span, it added more psychedelic, progressive, and pop influences than groups of the sort customarily used. The violin, tin whistle, harpsichord, recorder, and bodhran supplied some of the more traditional elements, yet the arrangements were eclectic enough to also encompass organ, electric mandolin, and even some Moog. While there was a certain naïvete to both the material and the production, the songs were fairly strong, balancing some hard-charging rocked-up folk with wistful, quieter ballads. Mushroom released a few other tracks on singles around this period, but otherwise never recorded again, the album becoming a highly sought-after collectible selling for as much as several hundred pounds. ~ Richie Unterberger